Tunisia
TunisiaFor years, Tunisia was known mostly as the most European
country of North Africa, with a relatively large middle class,
liberal social norms, broad gender equality and welcoming
Mediterranean beaches. But in January 2011, it took center stage as
the launching pad of the wave of revolt that swept through the Arab
world and beyond.
AlgeriaAlgerias government has operated under a state of
emergency for nearly two decades. Its battle with Islamic militants
reached a peak in a brutal civil war in the 1990s, in which more
than 100,000 people were killed. That conflict began after the
military-backed government canceled elections that an Islamist
party appeared poised to win. Algeria remains an outlier in a
region that was turned upside down by tumultuous political change
set off by the revolution in neighboring Tunisia.
EgyptAs you may know, beginning last week, a highly complex and
dangerous situation emerged in the streets of Egypt. Hundreds of
thousands of protesters took to the streets in Cairo, Alexandria,
Suez, and other cities, to air an assortment of grievances with the
Egyptian government. Complicating the situation, the Egyptian
government used its emergency powers to restrict citizens access to
phone service and the Internet. An escalation occurred on Friday,
when in defiance of a government-imposed curfew, violence and chaos
broke out in several major cities.
LibyaLibya now still lack complete organized and orderly public
security forces. Even in the capital Tripoli, where the government
has established army and police system, the security and order in
many areas are still maintained by militias. Due to the lack of
unified management, the different militia groups often clash with
each other. Meanwhile, they all have heavy weapons. Once they take
part in the illegal activities, they will pose severe threat to the
public safety.
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia is a destination country for men and
women subjected to forced labor and to a much lesser extent, forced
prostitution; men and women from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka,
Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Sudan, Ethiopia,
Kenya, and many other countries voluntarily travel to Saudi Arabia
as domestic servants or other low-skilled laborers, but some
subsequently face conditions indicative of involuntary servitude;
women, primarily from Asian and African countries, were believed to
have been forced into prostitution in Saudi Arabia; others were
reportedly kidnapped and forced into prostitution after running
away from abusive employers.
JordanJordan, one of Americas most important allies in the
Middle East, was hit in late January 2011 by the waves of unrest
that spread across the Arab world in the wake of the revolution in
Tunisia. Protests were led by the Islamic Action Front, the
political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, but included leftists and
trade unions. Demonstrators protested economic hardship and
demanded the right to elect the prime minister, who is currently
appointed by King Abdullah II.
YemenThe Yemeni state has failed to regain control over key
southern cities, creating a security and power vacuum in the south.
Al Qaeda-linked militants have taken advantage of the current
situation and may seek to expand their control of territory. The
Yemeni military has been unable to regain control of key southern
cities, despite claiming progress.
SyriaSyrian uprising began in March 2011 with anti-government
protests in provincial areas. The government of President Bashar
al-Assad responded with a bloody crackdown on initially peaceful
gatherings, along with piecemeal concessions that stopped short of
genuine political reform.
SyriaI was most impacted by Syria because there was a crackdown
by the president on peaceful gatherings which I think isnt right. I
dont think they would be happy with the United States getting
involved. Some of the people may be happy that we helped but the
president/leader wouldnt be happy at all.